The Lifesavers Link: November 2025 Edition

Marisol Escamilla, RN
Nov 1
5 min read

Bringing Monthly Updates and Guidance to RGV CPR Aligned Instructors

From Marisol’s Desk

This Month’s Core Value Highlight: Excellence

At RGV CPR, we’ve officially developed our Mission Statement, Vision Statement, and Core Values — the foundation that defines who we are as an American Heart Association Training Center and what we expect from every aligned instructor. This month, I’d like to highlight one of our most important Core Values: Excellence.

We hold ourselves and aligned instructors to the highest industry standards and are committed to delivering training that exceeds community expectations. We expect excellence in every course taught under our name.

Excellence is more than just doing a good job — it’s about consistency, professionalism, and a genuine commitment to quality. Every class we teach, every eCard we issue bearing the RGV CPR name, and every student interaction reflects our Training Center’s reputation.

AHA Training Center Site Review Results (Jan–Sept 2025)

The American Heart Association recently shared the results of its 2025 Training Center Site Reviews, which assess compliance and quality across the national training network.

Between January and September 2025, the AHA conducted 10 site reviews, all of which resulted in probationary action plans. The most common issues included:

Insufficient oversight of instructors and Training Sites
Failure to maintain recommended faculty-to-instructor ratios
Inadequate vetting of instructors and Training Sites
Lack of ID verification for instructors and students

These findings reinforce the importance of strong oversight, accountability, and quality assurance within every Training Center to ensure the highest standards of life-saving education.

👉 Read the full AHA ECC Beat article here.

👥 Looking Ahead: Building Our Faculty Team

Like many Training Centers nationwide, RGV CPR currently does not meet the recommended faculty-to-instructor ratios outlined by the AHA — which is one Faculty member for every 12 instructors. What does this mean? It means we’re growing — and now actively seeking qualified instructors to serve as Training Center Faculty (TCF).

Faculty members play a vital role in maintaining training quality, mentoring new instructors, and helping ensure our courses consistently meet AHA standards.

Benefits of Being Appointed as Training Center Faculty

Eligibility to teach Instructor Courses and conduct instructor renewals
Opportunity to mentor and monitor instructors within the RGV CPR network
Access to discounted eCard rates
The opportunity to become an official AHA Training Site (TS)
Ability to re-sell eCards to aligned instructors
Leadership experience that enhances your professional credentials and resume

✨ Want to know more? Stay tuned for our December Lifesaver’s Link Newsletter, where we’ll share TCF criteria, qualifications, and application details!

Compliance Check-In: Student Manuals

As a reminder, the American Heart Association Program Administration Manual (PAM) requires that:

“Each student must have the current appropriate course textbook readily available for use before, during, and after the course. Textbooks are designed for individual use and are an integral part of the student’s education before, during, and after the course. Students may reuse their textbooks during renewals until new science guidelines are published.”

At this time, Heartsaver eCards automatically include a Heartsaver Student eBook, ensuring every student has access to the required materials.

Instructors teaching provider-level courses (BLS, ACLS, PALS) are responsible for ensuring that every student has their own current provider manual. These books are essential—not only for learning but also because provider exams are open-book, and students must have their manuals available during testing.

Instructors may choose to:

Purchase the books for their students and include the cost in the class fee, or
Provide students with a link so they can purchase the textbook on their own.

Manuals can be obtained from shopcpr.heart.org or any other authorized AHA distributor.

📁 Please save your purchase confirmation emails, as they may be requested later for quality assurance verification.

Providing students with the correct materials from the start is one of the simplest and most effective ways we demonstrate Excellence—the Core Value that defines every class taught under the RGV CPR name.

ACLS & PALS Instructor Courses

Are you a current BLS Instructor ready to take your teaching to the next level? RGV CPR will be offering ACLS and PALS Instructor Courses in 2026 to help you expand your teaching opportunities.

These courses are ideal for instructors who want to broaden their course offerings by teaching advanced training to healthcare providers.

To qualify for enrollment:

Instructors must hold a current AHA certification in the discipline they wish to teach (ACLS and/or PALS).
The skills taught and performed during ACLS and PALS courses must be within the instructor’s professional scope of practice.

💰 Course Fee: $490

Each course includes:

Instructor Essentials Online Course
Course Video
Instructor Manual
Student Manual

You can choose between digital instructor products (eBooks and digital videos) or physical books and a USB course video.

ACLS Instructor Course Dates:

January 16–17, 2026
July 17–18, 2026

PALS Instructor Course Dates:

February 20–21, 2026
August 21–22, 2026

🔗 Registration will open on November 15, 2025. You can register at rgvcpr.com Registration links will also be included in the December Lifesaver’s Link Newsletter.

Hit Your Teaching Requirement + Build Confidence

To remain current, instructors must teach at least 4 classes per year, per discipline (BLS/Heartsaver, ACLS, PALS).

If your instructor card is expiring soon—or you’d like to gain more confidence—you’re invited to co-teach a class with me! Email marisol@rgvcpr.com to reserve your spot.

Upcoming Co-Teach Opportunities

BLS

Every Friday at 9:00 a.m.
Saturdays: Nov 8, 2025 · Jan 3, 2026 · Mar 7, 2026 · May 9, 2026 · Jul 4, 2026

Heartsaver

Saturdays: Dec 6, 2025 · Feb 7, 2026 · Apr 4, 2026 · Jun 6, 2026 · Aug 8, 2026

ACLS

Saturdays: Jan 17, 2026 · Jul 18, 2026

PALS

Saturdays: Feb 21, 2026 · Aug 22, 2026

Important: Co-teaching is a great way to gain experience and confidence, but before your instructor card expires, you must be monitored teaching your own class—with your own students and equipment—to qualify for renewal.

Instructor Reminder: Complete Your 2025 Updates

All aligned instructors must complete their 2025 AHA curriculum updates and purchase the corresponding new course materials by February 28, 2026.

Important:

Complete the update(s) for every discipline you teach — BLS, ACLS, PALS, and/or Heartsaver.
Purchase the new digital course videos and manuals before the deadline.

⚠️ Failure to complete your 2025 updates by February 28, 2026 will result in removal from alignment with RGV CPR. Instructors who are dropped from alignment must retake the full instructor course if they wish to continue teaching under the American Heart Association program.

Thank you for staying current and upholding our Core Value of Excellence by ensuring every course taught under RGV CPR meets the latest AHA standards.

And to make the 2025 updates a little more engaging… here’s a Trivia Challenge!

🎁 Be the first to answer correctly on my CPR RN Facebook page and win a FREE eCard of your choice!

📞 How to Contact Me

Have a Question? Need Assistance?

For urgent matters, contact me at my direct number: (956) 332-2928. DO NOT CALL OUR MAIN OFFICE NUMBER. I teach classes almost daily, so if I don’t answer, please text me instead of leaving a voicemail—I’ll respond when I get a break during class or as soon as I can.

For non-urgent matters, email me at marisol@rgvcpr.com, and I will reply by the end of the day.